Letters to the editor

Speaking from personal experience, there is a simple painless way to execute individuals condemned to death by a court process: the altitude chamber used by the military for training flight crews.

Many years ago, seated in the altitude chamber at Mitchel Field in New York, comfortably writing my name over and over on a piece of paper as the air pressure was reduced, simulating climb to altitude, when my partner tapped me on the shoulder pointing to my oxygen mask I thought I was doing just fine — till, after a few whiffs of oxygen I looked at that paper, with the last couple of signatures illegibly scrawled halfway across the page.

Without oxygen, in another minute or so I would have passed out, painlessly. In another five minutes I would have been dead.

If the state must take the life of an individual on order from the court, it should not be done painfully as a personal last jab with electricity or poisonous gas or injected substances or a broken neck at the end of a rope, or bullets through the heart.

A mean-spirited government we do not want.

Bob Nelson

Hesperia

The second generation

While it is difficult for adults to learn a new language, the kids in every immigrant family I have ever known have learned English. The second generation always gets it. The idea that we need to make English the official language of the United States is nothing more than bullying.

English is not only the language of power in the United States — but in the world. Young people learn English here because it is the pathway to more pay and a better job. Right? Seriously — how many people do you know who have grown up in this country and not learned English? This is a non-issue designed to distract us from what is really going on: the failure of Trumpcare, Trump's false claims that he was wiretapped (he was watching Fox News), and the Trump administration's ties to Russia, to name a few.

Stan Brown

Victorville

Who/what will remain?

The Town of Apple Valley is in an emptying process; several have gone or going! Mayor Nassif said he may not run in 2018 and Councilman Cusack has wisely recused himself from the water takeover issue. Next year, the voting by district is expected to remove one of the current councilmembers. Tom Rice has been acknowledged as town attorney so when is John Brown's final day? How long will any of the assistant town managers be employed and what will they do since the General Fund is already completely allocated and the cost allocations insufficient? More millions in transfers?

The resident taxpayers may awaken to discover and find that their vision of what they could have done has been already used for numerous debt obligations placed on their children's lives and civic center is at minimum staffing. Any spin on economic development growth projections expectations soon? Maybe local folks will learn of the years of hidden discussions behind closed doors and the important non-transparent records. The forthcoming budget will be quite revealing for those paying attention. Who is going next? What could have been had if more individuals became more involved?

It is considered to be a "bad joke" to use one person's so-called appraisal at a cost of $200,000+ with the inclusion of an arbitrary 10 percent discount to achieve their $50.3 million fair market value, another who expressed a $88.7 million number while advocating a $150 million bond figure which has a total cost of $300+ million for 30 years. Numbers without merit? And that is the facts!

Al Rice

Apple Valley

Tax hikes

Re: "Tax Hike Funds $52 Billion Plan," Daily Press, March 30, 2017 ... I cannot believe the audacity of Sacramento to ask for another tax hike given that over the years legislators haven’t improved our roads/infrastructure with the money that is currently collected!

Governor Brown is proposing a tax hike by means of:

• a variable increase in the gasoline tax, starting at 12 centa a gallon,

• a sliding scale increase in vehicle registration fees, and

• a $100 annual fee for zero emission vehicles

Californians are already taxed to death!

If I remember correctly, we are already paying a voter approved 37.5 cents tax for a gallon of gas to fix our roads. When I look around at the disrepair of our roads, not one dime of that money has been spent here in the High Desert! The 37.5 cents a gallon tax should have gone into a restricted Special Revenue Fund and used solely for infrastructure/road improvements; not diverted to the General Fund to balance the budget — and he wants more money? Isn’t that fraud?

Governor Brown is trying to sell Californians on this proposal by saying the costs “…would be offset by reduced vehicle-repair expenses...” Who is he kidding? In the first place, Californians would not have a lot of these expenses if our roads were in better condition. Perhaps Sacramento should be reimbursing us for these repairs since it’s the legislators’ disregard that has resulted in the damages to our vehicles in the first place!

Sacramento should learn to live with available funds instead of raising taxes — i.e. cut back on unnecessary spending, lay off employees, cut costs etc. — so that monies are available for transportation projects when needed (as well as other mandates). If the monies already collected were used for their intended purposes, there wouldn’t be a “backlog in road maintenance” as Governor Brown noted.

If this “proposal” passes, Californians should replace their respective legislative representatives during the next election!

Barbara Redding

Hesperia

Kamala Harris

Kamala Harris and many others are opposing the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court because he has a history of placing personal ideology (“feelings”) above the law and the Constitution.

At least Harris and the others have a legitimate reason to oppose Gorsuch, as opposed to the Republicans who refused to even allow a hearing for Merrick Garland, President Obama’s nominee for the position, because they don’t care about the country or the people and selfishly wanted to prevent the black guy from filling the position, which was his right and duty.

Danny Sexton

Apple Valley

Grammar

Having a degree in English, Fullerton College, I pick up on every error in grammar, spoken or written, the most glaring being that people are now "WHATS" not "WHOS."

When did a person become a "what" instead of a "who"? This is now the norm, I have even noticed this error in the Bible. And very famous authors. Yes, we are "WHATS" now, not "WHOS." Sad.